State: Fix M-52, not Occidental Highway

Repaving M-52 from Valley Road to M-50 was selected over a proposed paving project on Occidental Highway with Lenawee County’s share of special state road funding.

Road projects across the state that were selected for $115 million in funding were announced Thursday by state legislators and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Lenawee County Road Commission officials expressed disappointment in the announcement of funding for M-52 rather than repair of the more heavily traveled Occidental Highway and Valley Road route between Adrian and Tecumseh.

The road commission submitted a proposal for a $1.3 million repaving project on the deteriorating county road route when the special state road funding became available in May. The road commission is now pursuing a 2015 paving project with grants covering about half the cost.

Repaving a section of M-52 that appears to be in good condition rather than the potholed Occidental Highway route was a surprise, said Scott Merillat, road commission managing director.

“No extra revenue for us there,” he said. “You can make your own idea out of that.”

“We don’t have the right politicians,” said road commissioner Robert Emery.The Occidental Highway route has much more traffic than the section of M-52, Emery said, and M-52 is in much better condition.

A list of 103 state and local transportation projects was announced Thursday for construction in 2014 with $115 million from the state’s recently created Roads and Risks Reserve (RRR) Fund.

“This is fantastic news and a great first step toward improving our roads,” said Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe. “Three years of sound budget decisions and living within our means has made it possible to direct existing resources toward our roads. Instead of seeking new revenue, we were able to tighten our belts and fund priority projects throughout the state.”

Monroe County received funding for six projects, five of them on county roads. The largest is a $5 million project on Samaria Road. Monroe County also received $1.42 million for a project on Tuttle Hill Road, $780,000 for two projects on Wabash Road and $280,000 for a signal project on Vivian Road. Another $3.5 million is to be spent on concrete patching on Interstate 75 in Monroe County.

Two projects were funded in Jackson County. Jefferson Road is to be resurfaced from U.S. 127 to the village of Brooklyn for $990,000. A project on M-106 was awarded $1.75 million.

“The people of Michigan want and deserve better roads. There is still much more work to be done to address all of our infrastructure needs in Michigan, but this is an important part of that process,” Richardville said.

State Sen. Bruce Caswell, R-Pittsford, announced projects in Branch and St. Joseph counties as well as the M-52 project in Lenawee County.

“I often hear from citizens that we need to fix our roads. The road improvement money announced today will help to better our roads and ensure driver safety,” Caswell said in a news release. “These funds represent a good first step in the ongoing discussions in Lansing about how to address Michigan’s continued infrastructure needs.”

State Rep. Nancy Jenkins, R-Clayton, said in a news release that more projects will be announced later. The Legislature created the special fund with $230 million in existing state revenue with half the money available for appropriation on Oct. 1. The other half could be appropriated on Feb. 1.

“Our roads and bridges are such an important part of our everyday lives here in Michigan, so I am glad we were able to set aside funds to improve them,” said Jenkins. “These improvements will help us to invest in our state’s future, which will benefit citizens across Michigan.”

The news about the funding for the M-52 project came a day after the state released its new five-year plan for projects on state highways. That plan showed no projects in Lenawee County.

One project had been listed for 2017 in MDOT’s last five-year plan. Dropped from the schedule is a restoration and rehabilitation project for 5.7 miles of M-34 from M-52 to Hazen Creek, just east of Benner Highway in Dover Township.

The M-34 project will likely be rescheduled further in the future than 2018, said MDOT spokeswoman Kari Arend. The proposed five-year plan up for adoption in January by the State Transportation Commission is for 2014 through 2018.

While no construction projects are in the new plan in Lenawee County, a $2.1 million resurfacing project on U.S. 12 is still scheduled for 2014, said Arend. Milling and paving is to take place on 11.3 miles of U.S. 12 from M-50 in Cambridge Township to M-52 west of Clinton.

No other significant highway or bridge work is currently planned on state roads in Lenawee County.

MDOT completed a major reconstruction and repaving of M-52 through Adrian in 2012 as well as work on U.S. 223 near Adrian and M-50 near Tecumseh.

The full five-year plan document is available on the MDOT website at www.michigan.gov/mdot5yearplan. The location, description and proposed construction year of upcoming MDOT projects are also on an interactive map online at the same website.

Public comments on the draft plan are to be accepted until Jan. 10. Comments can be directed to Bob Parsons, public involvement and hearings officer, Bureau of Highways, Michigan Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI 48909. Comments can also sent by fax at 517-373-9255 or email at MDOT-Five-Year-Program@michigan.gov.